The Bridge
Episode 12 with Danielle Skelton, founder and director of Bridge to Best.
Danielle Skelton did not set out to become a business owner. She set out to be an occupational therapist. Bridge to Best came later, after casual work, young children, financial pressure, and a father who kept telling her she could run her own thing.
In this episode of Queensland Business Stories, Danielle joins Chris Tipper to talk about building a mobile occupational therapy practice, supporting adults after accident, disability, brain injury and ageing, and learning how to run a business without losing sight of the patient.
The First Five Hundred Dollars
Danielle’s first month working solo brought in A$500. She was thrilled. The business started with coffees, conversations and someone willing to give her a chance. From there, the growth engine was simple but hard to fake: do the work well enough that people come back and tell other people.
Word of mouth beats any marketing budget when the work is good enough to carry the message.
What Occupational Therapy Really Does
Danielle is honest that even occupational therapists can struggle to explain the profession. Her version is simple: OTs are problem solvers. Bridge to Best helps people recover function and independence, or get as close to their best as their situation allows.
For many clients, the hospital phase is not the hardest part. The harder part starts at home, when brain injury, fatigue, memory, emotions, meals, school runs and appointments all collide with real life.
The Home-Based Team Challenge
Bridge to Best is fully mobile. The team works from home and sees clients in homes, workplaces and communities. There is no shared clinic room, no senior therapist in the next chair, and no easy hallway conversation when a visit goes sideways.
That changes leadership. Experienced therapists can think on the fly. Emerging therapists need support, repetition and a safe way to build judgement. Sometimes that means sending two therapists to a visit and charging for one. It is good team development, but it still hits the margin.
When The Funding Model Stops Working
The sharpest business moment in the episode is Danielle’s explanation of pricing pressure. Bridge to Best has spent years working under government-set rates while every input cost has continued rising. Last year, the travel fee for home visits was cut in half. For a completely mobile service, that meant roughly A$100,000 removed from the annual budget overnight.
Danielle is measured, but the reality is clear. If the model does not let you pay the team fairly, support clients properly and run the business sustainably, something has to change.
The Private Pivot
After nearly three years of running under loss-making pressure, Bridge to Best is moving further into private fee-for-service work. The goal is not to abandon the service. It is to regain enough control over pricing and delivery to provide it properly.
That includes older Australians who want to stay in their own homes, families who do not know where to start after a fall or illness, and people caught between waiting lists, funding gaps and practical problems that need attention now.
Clinician First, Owner Second
Danielle’s business lesson is useful well beyond healthcare. Being good at the work does not automatically prepare you to run the business. The two are different jobs. Her answer is not to know everything. It is to know who to ask, choose advice carefully, and get comfortable being bad at something long enough to learn the next gap.
Connect With Danielle
Bridge to Best
Email: [email protected]
Brisbane mobile/community service; PO Box 959, Coorparoo QLD 4151
More From Queensland Business Stories
Queensland Business Stories is presented by Connected Platforms. We sit down with Queensland business owners, operators and leaders to unpack the real decisions, constraints and lessons behind the work.